Law enforcement officials stress dangers of texting & driving

Law enforcement officials stress dangers of texting and driving

KINGSTON >> Five seconds is the average time a driver’s eyes are off the road when they are texting, according to an informational brochure provided by the state police.

When traveling at 55 miles-per-hour, that five seconds is enough time for a vehicle to cover the length of a football field.

“That’s a whole lot of distance to travel and not have your eyes on the road,” Ulster County Undersheriff Frank Faluotico said recently.

In July 2011, the state gave law enforcement officers the power to stop drivers solely for using a portable electronic device for activities such as texting while driving. In 2013, the fines for such distracted driving went up to a maximum of $400 on a third offense and up to five points on a driver’s license.

Drivers with learner permits, probationary licenses or junior licenses also faced a mandatory 60-day suspension of their driving privileges if convicted of distracted driving. On a second conviction within six months, that suspension increased to at least six months.

This year’s state budget includes legislation to further increase those penalties for young drivers in an attempt to curtail the prevalence of activities such as texting while driving. Young and new drivers convicted of texting-while-driving would have their license suspended for 120 days on the first conviction and a year for the second offense. Those increased penalties go into effect on November 1.

“It’s become commonplace,” Faluotico said of seeing people driving distracted. “More so the texting and the talking on the cell phone.” He said there are so many inexpensive hands-free devices people could use to make phone calls while driving and many newer cars will play text messages as audio recordings.

Faluotico said it seems to be the younger drivers who use their cellular phones more often while driving because of social media and the appeal of texting. He said it has just been a learned way of life for them.

“Unfortunately this learned way of life and driving don’t mix,” Faluotico said.

The undersheriff also said distracted driving is not limited to people using their cell phones while behind the wheel. He said it also includes activities such as drivers reading newspapers, eating food or applying make-up. Faluotico said there are many parking lots or parking areas where people could pull over to use their phones. If they have to pull off on the side of the road, they should make sure they are completely moved over so traffic can safely pass them, he said.

Zone Sgt. Jeff Radcliff with the state police at Ulster said he sees more people pulling over to use their phone but, in general, people cannot seem to stop using their electronic devices while driving despite the law prohibiting them from doing so. He said many of the drivers he sees on the road have their cell phones in their hands, cradled in their arms like a baby or sitting on their laps.

Sitting in a parking lot off Ulster Avenue in the town of Ulster on Wednesday afternoon, Radcliff pointed out several drivers passing by who were using their cell phones or not wearing their seat belts. In a 15 minute period, at least 15 different offenders were noted. On the drive back to the state police barracks, a driver was seen running through a red light while talking on the cell phone he was holding to his left ear. On another driver, all that could be seen of her face was her forehead because she was looking down at the phone in her hand.

According to state police, a texting driver is 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision than one who is not texting, while using a cell phone while driving delays a driver’s reaction as much as if they were intoxicated.

Saugerties police Chief Joseph Sinagra said it is a proven fact that distracted drivers are more likely to cause accidents. He said one of the things his officers do now when investigating an accident is look at whether a person was using a cell phone at the time. Sinagra said, for instance, if an officer is investigating an accident in which a vehicle went off the road and the reason the driver is giving does not make sense, the officer should look at whether the driver was distracted.

“This really goes hand-in-hand with everything else law enforcement is trying to achieve with public safety,” Sinagra said. He said the laws are put in place by state and local legislators to protect public safety. Sinagra said his department will use unmarked patrol vehicles to drive around the community to spot distracted drivers. He said he has also had officers stand on the sidewalk and call out cars whose drivers are violating the law.

Radcliff, a 24-year veteran of the state police, said Wednesday his agency had recently completed a distracted driver enforcement campaign and was in the midst of a campaign targeting motorists who were not wearing their seat belts. He said compliance for seat belts tends to be better.

“People have gotten the idea they need to wear their seat belts,” Radcliff said. He said when it comes to distracted drivers, he has called out thousands of violations during the enforcement campaigns.

During the enforcement, Radcliff said, he acts as the spotter and works with two to four other troopers. Radcliff said he will call out violations to the troopers as he sees them and be as specific as possible. That includes providing the make of a vehicle and what hand the driver is using to either make a phone call or text on their cellular phone, he said. Radcliff said he also tries to describe the phone or device being used.

In addition to spotting violators from his patrol vehicle, Radcliff said he will sometimes stand by the road while wearing plain clothes. Other times, he said, he will take out his mountain bike and pretend to be taking a break and looking out across the roadway. Radcliff said he has also put on a vest and stood with state Department of Transportation workers who were directing traffic around a work site. In those instances, he said, he can call out the details of a violation to troopers who will then stop the motorist and write a ticket.

“To meet the letter of the law, I have to see the violation,” Radcliff added. He said the troopers he works with are operating “blind” and need him to be as specific as possible about what he sees when calling out violations of the law. Radcliff said he has never had to go to trial for any of those violations that resulted in a ticket and most people do not even bother arguing with the trooper when stopped. They know they’ve been had, he said.

Radcliff said he has even stopped people for distracted driving in front of the trooper barracks on U.S. Route 209 when there has been a variable electronic sign warning people not to text and drive.

“I’ve sat right here as they come past the sign and see people on their cell phones,” Radcliff said while parked in the driveway of the barracks. He said that is a good spot for compliance checks because people traveling north on Route 209 have just gotten a good cell phone signal after traveling through an area where there is no service.

State police Capt. Robert Nuzzo said he does not often quote Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but agrees that the issue of distracted driving is an “epidemic.”

“People are addicted to their phones,” Nuzzo said. “They cannot stay off of them.” He said a national estimate shows that 30 to 35 percent of accidents are caused by distracted driving.

Sinagra said on his drive to work he sees at least a dozen people daily either talking or texting on their cell phones. He said he is amazed at the number of people on the phone he passes on U.S. Route 9W between the town of Ulster and Saugerties. Like Faluotico, Sinagra said there are inexpensive hands-free devices that could be used.

“People have to realize it’s a $200 fine right off the bat,” Sinagra said of tickets for distracted driving and their surcharges. He added that such a ticket also goes against a driver’s insurance. Sinagra said about a third of the 213 tickets his officers gave out in April were for distracted driving.